Press Releases

Published date: 20 Nov 2024

Ireland Takes a First Step Towards Online Safety, but the Next Programme for Government Must Finish the Job.

Today (20.11.2024), on World Children’s Day, the Children’s Rights Alliance acknowledges an important step forward in the protection of children online as the first parts of the Online Safety Code come into effect. However, if child safety is the goal, the detail fails to meet the mark.

Commenting on the impact of the Code, Noeline Blackwell, Online Safety Coordinator at the Children’s Rights Alliance says:

“Ireland’s first ever Online Safety Code is a vital piece of the puzzle in keeping our children and young people safe online. The entry into effect of part of the Code is the beginning of a new age of regulation and oversight in an industry of powerful players that up until now, have played to their own rules, without adequate care for the wellbeing and safety of its users. We will now see several of the most influential house-hold names in this space answer to European regulation, enforced by the Irish regulator, Coimisiún na Meán.”

“It is important to note that while this first iteration of the Code sets standards and expectations for major social media and digital companies to adhere to, its publication alone does not guarantee a safe online space for children.”

The Children’s Rights Alliance has identified concerns with the Code’s effectiveness in protecting children and young people from online harm in the following areas:

• Age Verification and Assurance: Age verification measures introduced focus primarily on adult-only content. This oversight fails to protect children from harmful content present on other platforms that children can still access.
• Removal of Offence-Specific Harms: The Code does not sufficiently address illegal content specific to children, such as grooming or engaging with a child for the purposes of child sexual abuse.
• Complaints and Enforcement Mechanisms: The Code lacks specific requirements for complaint mechanisms that are age appropriate and accessible by children and young people.

“These omissions raise serious worries about the potential effectiveness of the Code. Despite being well aware of the harms to children and young people, it is of even greater concern when you consider the fact that each designated tech company regulated under Coimisúin na Meán has until next July to produce their own plans about how they propose to prioritise children’s safety online and adjust their systems accordingly. This is disappointing, given that it means another eight months of leeway while harms can still occur. It is also unfortunate that where children or their care givers find abusive or harmful material online, the Code provides little direct guidance to platforms on what an accessible, speedy and child-friendly reporting and complaint system should look like.”

“Now the responsibility of ensuring that these standards are met by these companies lies with Coimisiún na Meán. As it stands, the safety and well-being of children and young people online depends on the extreme and constant vigilance of Coimisiún na Meán to ensure that platforms profiting from Irish users are consistent in pursuing those who fail to prioritise the physical, psychological and mental health and well-being of children and young people. We are concerned that the way in which the Code is currently structured will make it difficult for Coimisiún na Meán to do this with utmost effectiveness.”

 The Children’s Rights Alliance is calling for children and young people’s safety and wellbeing online to be a top priority in the next Programme for Government.

“Irish Law does a good job of highlighting the special duty placed on online platforms to safeguard the physical, mental and psychological health of children and young people as they spend time in online spaces, but stronger measures and regulation are needed from Government to ensure protection from illegal and harmful content.  We need to see Government prioritise children’s safety online as a key commitment in the Programme for Government, insisting that digital platforms uphold the right of children to be safe online.

Children deserve nothing less than this level of protection, and they are entitled to it.”

_ENDS_

 

Contact:

Gillian Hogan, [email protected] / 083 0634290 or [email protected]

 

Notes to Editors:

• Noeline Blackwell, Children’s Rights Alliance is available for media interviews.
• Online Safety Code and Guidance Materials are available on cnam.ie.

 

About the Children’s Rights Alliance
Founded in 1995, the Children’s Rights Alliance over 160 members working together to make Ireland one of the best places in the world to be a child. Further information is available at: childrensrights.ie or on Twitter, @ChildRightsIRL